Nearly 2,000 athletes signed up for one of the most grueling tests of human physical endurance. Though the number of participants involved in Sunday's first ever Wisconsin Ironman Triathlon was large in its own right, it was the more than 20,000 expected spectators who turned up to watch the athletes, which excited the downtown Madison businesses.
\The business and hotels were absolutely thrilled,"" Downtown Madison Inc. President Susan Schmitz said. ""There were thousands of spectators and volunteers downtown, not even to mention the families of the participants.""
The race consisted of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a full marathon, with a large portion of the land events taking place along major streets and thoroughfares, including State Street and Observatory Drive. The competition is used as a qualifying race for the world competition, Oct. 19, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
The event stood in stark contrast to the letdown of this summer's U.S. Conference of Mayors, which did not fulfill its economic expectations, according to Schmitz. The four day conference, which was attended by 250 mayors from across the nation, was plagued by heavy security concerns that kept potential business away from the downtown area.
""It was pretty much night and day from the mayoral conference because the Ironman was so interactive with the community,"" she said. ""This makes up for the mayor's conference.""
The involvement was not a coincidental benefit, but rather something that had been worked on for a long time, said Jana Lenz, Director of Communication for the Greater Madison Visitors and Convention Bureau.
""Ironman, when they first came to Madison, wanted to make the race spectator-friendly. They really liked the venue in that they could bring the event to the downtown,"" Lenz said. ""It was definitely a planned process.""
While some participants considered it to be a hard course, Ironman officials could not have been happier with the city's enthusiasm, often referring to the town as ""sports-mad Madison,"" according to Schmitz.
""They said it was a turnout like no other,"" she said.
Schmitz added that Madison has a contract with the Ironman for the event to be held in the city for the next four years, something businesses are looking forward to having.
""We keep thinking, 'Oh my gosh, imagine what next year can be like with a little tinkering,'"" she said.
